Gateways
by TheRisingRobin
Summary: Equivalence states that there is always an equal exchange. Fathers attempt at ascension on the Promised Day opened a door to another world, just prior to Harry Potter's first year. Four years later, Dumbledore brokered a deal for two alchemists to come teach at Hogwarts and help in the coming war. Shadows are stirring across England. Father's influence never truly left.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome. This story is starting just before the fifth book and four years after the events of the promised day. I hope you enjoy my story.**

 **As an obvious note, I own nothing.**

 **Gateways**

 **By The Rising Robin**

"Equivalence states that there is always an equal exchange. Fathers attempt at ascension on the Promised Day opened a door to another world, just prior to Harry Potter's first year. Four years later, Dumbledore brokered a deal for two alchemists to come teach at Hogwarts and help in the coming war. Shadows are stirring across England. Father's influence never truly left."

 **Chapter 1**

" _Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange."_

 _Central City, Amestris_

 _July 22_ _nd_ _, 1919 (Amestrian Calendar)_

The Elric brothers stood outside of Central Military Command at the heart of Central City in the heart of Amestris. Medium sized suitcases sat next to both men on the concrete. Edward, the elder at 20 years of age, wore a long brown traveling coat over his clothes. They consisted of brown leather shoes, brown slacks, and a lighter brown buttoned vest over a tieless white dress shirt that looked like it had been slept in. Ed's golden hair was up in a high pony tail. Alphonse, the younger at 19, kept his hair much shorter and parted on one side. The slightly taller young man resembled their mother as much as Ed resembled their father. His shoes and pants matched his brother's but his vest was a forest green and matching tie. The shirt he wore was still nicely pressed and the sleeves were rolled up the elbows. Al's traveling coat was draped over his arm so he could feel the air over his arms.

Al gave a sideways glance at Ed as he unconsciously clenched his automail right hand. Melancholy feelings rose up in his chest, which he quick clamped down on. Alphonse Elric had sacrificed his soul to restore his brother's arm so he could continue the fight against Father on his Promised Day. The next thing he remembered as waking up in Ed's lap, his head supported by one arm. The other had been reverted back to its shattered automail state.

Ed never fully explained what happened at the last time at the Gate. What he did say was that Truth returned Al's body in payment for preventing Father from absorbing him. The older brother then sacrificed his right arm for a second time in exchange for his brother's soul. Al was grateful and knew that the proximity to Central Command made his brother greatly uncomfortable.

The Fullmetal Alchemist stuck his steel hand in his front pants pocket and withdrew his silver pocket watch to check the time. Snapping it shut and returning it to his pocket he said, "Come on, Al. Let's get this over with."

"Brother, relax. I'm sure whatever General Mustang called us here for is important. I was such short notice after all," replied Al with a pensive look on his face.

Ed smiled and lightly punched his brother in the arm with his right hand. "Ever the optimist aren't you, little brother?" Without waiting for a reply, he lifted the suitcase at his side and began up the front stairs to the main building.

"Wait up, Ed!" Al hefted his own case and hurried to catch up with his brother and get to the office of General Roy Mustang.

It only took them about ten minutes for them to traverse the familiar halls towards the general's office. Mustang's staff consisted of his trusted team that had carried him through the Promised Day, including the recently promoted Captain Riza Hawkeye. The outer office was a quiet buzz of activity with no one giving them more than a wave or muttered greeting. Whatever assignment they were about to be given seemed to cause an excess of paperwork. An omen that any member of the military knew to be a bad sign of things to come.

Al stepped forward and got the Captain's attention, "Good day, Captain Hawkeye."

"Colonel Elric, Major Elric. Are you here to report to the General?" she asked rising to attention.

"Yes ma'am. His letter seemed urgent is everything alright?" Concern was evident in the young man's voice and his brother's face conveyed a similar sentiment.

A sympathetic smile passed over Riza's face. "Yes, sir. Everything is fine. You and the Colonel can leave you bags out here." Ed and Al exchanged uneasy looks but left the suitcases next the desk anyway.

Ed opened the door and stepped into the inner office with his brother close behind. Three men were waiting on the other side. The General sat behind his desk on the far side in his royal blue uniform. The two men sitting across from him could be counted among the strangest people either Elric brother had ever seen.

 _Glasgow, Scotland_

 _July 22_ _nd_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody's day had started off as normal. The events of the past school year had left him paranoid as ever. Almost a year of being locked inside of his own truck had left him with fresh mental terrors and a severe case of malnutrition. As with all of his trauma induced nightmares they would fade with time but, for now he just had live with them.

The nighttime delusions often left him with only a few hours of sleep and this night had been no different. He rose from bed early that morning and began his morning routine of checking his defenses and taking his daily nutrition supplementation and pain potions. When he finally sat down to eat, his meal was interrupted by the flashing of a phoenix flaming into his dining room. The grizzled ex-auror fired numerus curses at the bird, which all were avoided causing the kitchen to become a smoking ruin.

When Mad-eye finally stopped attacking, Fawks the phoenix presented the letter he carried and promptly flamed away. The man struggled to pick the letter off the ground, cursing Albus Dumbledore the entire time. He set the letter on the table and scanned for any curse or trap he could think of. Finally after ensuring the letter was in fact just a letter he opened it and laid it on the table to read.

 _Dear Alastor Moody,_

 _I need to finally retrieve the alchemy professors for the upcoming class this school year. As you know they are coming from beyond the Great Doors in the Ministry building. I would like it for you to accompany me as I believe it may do you good to get out of the house once in a while. Please floo to my office at your earliest convenience._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Every adult in the Wizarding World, especially those who worked for the ministry around the time of their appearance, knew of the Great Doors. Four years ago in mid-1991, giant black stone doors with intricate carvings simply rumbled into existence in the middle of what was then the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Two wizards died in the event and the office was virtually destroyed. The MMAO was then relocated to a small unused corner of the Ministry and forgotten about.

 _The Daily Prophet_ was ecstatic. The Doors simply defied all logic and magical theory. All curses fired at them hit with deadly accuracy but made no marks or effected them in any way. Magical scans simply declared that they did not exist. They looked like they were there and they acted like any other physical barrier but magic confirmed they did not exist. When no more information could be gleaned from a distance the _Prophet_ moved on to other topics such as the return of Harry Potter.

For the next two years, Unspeakables and Aurors alike dared each other to go and touch them. It wasn't until a foolish young Auror was breaking the record for proximity to the Great Doors, and tripped, did them open at a touch. On the other side laid another world, specifically the country of Amestris, and alchemical knowledge was rich there. The Führer of the Country stonewalled the Ministry and all magic peoples from entering. Eventually towards the middle of 1994, Albus Dumbledore began to open communication in order to have an alchemy class taught at Hogwarts.

The last thing Mad-Eye had heard was that the Minister had shouted at a young Amestrian general by the name of Roy Mustang over the questioning of the resurrection of Voldemort. Fudge had demanded to know who told him this lie but Mustang reportedly smiled and said that he had read it somewhere. Moody grumbled as he stood and secured the house before flicking his wand at his fireplace causing a fire to spring to life. A pinch of floo powder later, they turned to a stunning shade of emerald. He stepped into the flames and threw down another amount while shouting, "Headmasters Office, Hogwarts!"

 _One Hour Later, Ministry of Magic_

Traveling the halls of the wizarding government with Albus Dumbledore was a quiet affair. The man was all but outcast from wizarding society for his claims that Voldemort had returned a little over a month ago at the end of the Twi-Wizard Tournament. Were it not for the fact that Dumbledore was the only Wizard allowed in Amestris following the esteemed Minister's outburst, he would not allowed within sight distance of the Great Doors. As he passed the crowds of ministry workers, they fell silent leaving only the sound Mad-Eye's staff landing on the cold stone floor.

The desk clerk in the antechamber outside of the main room greeted them somewhat coldly.

"Hello, I have an appointment in Amestris. I need passes for myself, my associate Mr. Moody, and the two professors I will be bringing back with me," said Dumbledore in his usual grandfatherly voice which caused Mad-Eye to snort quietly.

The clerk rolled his eyes and withdrew four passes from his desk and filled the first two out for the present men. "What are the names of the incoming professors?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "That, I cannot say. The General neglected to mention."

The young wizard huffed and muttered something about crazy old men making extra paperwork. "Fine. Just ensure that they have proper identification."

"Thank you." The old man and his companion walked through the doors flanked by two aurors. The Great Doors stood mute in the center with four aurors stationed around the room. Next to the doors was another clerk who checked their passes and laid a trembling hand on the door. Black stone swung out to reveal a bright white expanse with an open door a short distance away. The two man nodded at one another and they stepped into the white abyss.

 **END OF CHAPTER ONE**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter one. Favorite, review, or set fire to your laptop. I don't know, I'm not your supervisor. Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.**

 **In the meantime, have a good week.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So, as promised this is chapter 2. If you are returning, thanks for coming back. If it's your first time… well I promise to be gentle. I apologize for any errors in this chapter. At the time of posting and final editing, I am a bit more than a little drunk. Now here we go.**

 **Gateways**

 **Chapter Two**

 _"This portal... I know it contains every secret alchemy has to offer. However, it's also lead me astray. I saw the truth that lies within it and I became convinced I could solve everything with alchemy. But I couldn't possibly have been more wrong. That was just arrogance." –Edward Elric_

 _Central City, Amestris_

 _July 22_ _nd_ _, 1919 (Amestrian Calendar)_

General Roy Mustang, 'the Flame Alchemist', was considered by many in his command to be a smart and cunning man. He also was not known to be a trusting man. Of the two men who were just delivered to his office by a sergeant, he trusted neither of them. The older man he had met with on several occasions and obviously was secretive by nature or necessity. The other man was severely disfigured but carried himself like a soldier. Obviously looking for exits and cover.

The old man, Dumbledore, had come through the Gate requesting an alchemist to teach at his… magic school. The whole magic concept had been surprising rationalized by the Elrics in a series of coded letters from around the time Alphonse returned from Xing and became state certified. Edward had confirmed the possibility of multiple dimensions while his brother postulated that the magic was the manipulation, or conversion, of energy though some sort of genetic component. That had been enough to reaffirm Ed's certification. The real shock had come when Second Lieutenant Falman had pilfered a newspaper from the bag of one of the 'Minister of Magic' character. The claim of the terrorist's resurrection was on the front page. When Dumbledore had actually confirmed the story instead of shouting, Roy offered the assistance of the Amestrian military. The idea that someone had violated the natural order to that extent was a clear threat. The start of an Alliance.

Breaking free from his thoughts General Mustang rose from his chair and returned the salute to the sergeant. "You are dismissed." He paused and waited for the soldier to leave. "Mr. Dumbledore, pleasure to see you again. How are you?"

Dumbledore's face formed into a warm smile. "Very well, thank you." He gave a half turn and gestured the disfigured man beside him. "This is my associate, Alastor Moody. He is an ex-auror."

Roy gestured to the seats in front of his desk as he sat back into his own seat. "What is an Auror? If you don't mind my asking."

Moody squinted his normal eye as his electric blue and bulbous eye spun independently in its socket. "Dark wizard catchers."

"And your eye…?"

"For seeing all threats around me. Like that weapon you have trained on me beneath your desk," barked the man in reply.

Mustang smiled meekly and raised his left hand in peace. A soft click was heard as he withdrew a pistol and set it on the desk. "I meant no offense Mr. Moody. You just can never be too careful around strangers."

A short barking laugh came through Moody's lips. "Very good General. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Roy and Dumbledore both let out chuckles. "One more question, if I may impose. Does your world not have automail?"

The two wizards shared a questioning glance before Dumbledore responded. "No, I suppose we do not. However, if we could get to business about the alchemists you are loaning us."

"Of course." Mustang opened a draw in his desk and withdrew two files of modest size. "I am assigning the Elric brothers to your case. Colonel Edward Elric is the Fullmetal Alchemist. He has a strong basis in all fields of alchemy but, his specialties are general in nature as here is more knowledgeable about alchemy than anyone else in the world. He is headstrong and a decorated hero of the Promised Day and the later Western Incursion." That file was put to the side. "The younger brother Major Alphonse Elric is the Healing Hand Alchemist. He is a specialist in medical alchemy and hand to hand combat. Alphonse was present at the Promised Day and our victory could be directly attributed to him. He was recovering and studying in a country to the East during the incursion. He is the calmer of the two but is by no means a push over. I believe these two will be sufficient to teach and protect your students."

"What are the Promised Day and this Incursion business?"

"Well, there was a conspiracy to destroy the nation by men high in command. The Incursion was a twenty-three day war with the nation of Creta to the West that occurred in the months following the instability caused by the Promised Day." Mustang shuffled the files and replaced them in his desk. "They are the best team you could ask for."

Dumbledore stroked his beard slowly. "Very well. Will I be able to collect these two today?"

"Yes, I believe so. I sent for them, after our last meeting. They are stationed out at East Command." As if on cue there was a knock on the door and two blond young men with golden eyes walked in. "Perfect timing. Gentleman, this is Colonel Edward Elric and Major Alphonse Elric."

Ed stared at the two men he was just introduced to. One was ancient and wearing vibrant robes of violet. The other was horrendously scarred with one eye that spun in its socket. A strange pair indeed.

"Fullmetal, Healing Hands, this is Alastor Moody and Professor Albus Dumbledore." Mustang flicked his eyes towards the two remaining seats before the desk as a clear sign to take a seat.

Before they could be seated, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Aren't these two a tad young to be highly ranked military officers?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Aren't you too old to walk by yourself old man?" bit back Ed.

This retort drew simultaneous responses of, "Brother!" and "Fullmetal!"

Alphonse stepped in front of his brother while saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Dumbledore. Ed…"

"It's quite alright, Major Elric." Dumbledore smiled wide and the twinkle in his eye seemed to grow. "I was just surprised by your age. It was not a question of your competency."

"The State Alchemist Division is the only branch of the military without a minimum age, due to its stringent entrance exam. Fullmetal passed it at age twelve. A State Alchemist is equivalent to a major. His brother here only did not apply because of exigent circumstances. Both are highly qualified," said the General. The Elrics sat down in the vacant chairs with their reputations intact. "Now let's get down to the details…"

 _Two Hours Later_

"So, let me get this straight: You want us to teach alchemy at a… magic school and act as ambassadors to England while fighting a shadow war against an enemy that the Ministry denies exists by joining an illegal underground organization?" asked Ed his head in his hands.

"Yes, Fullmetal. Führer Grumman has agreed to open up communication with the Ministry of Magic and be generally friendly." Mustang handed Alphonse a folder with all of the relevant mission data. "With quasi-ambassador status you will have full access to the Gate to return to Amestris at any time and any messages that come to me will be sealed."

"Is it just me or does this feel way too much like the Promised Day." Ed leaned back in his chair and pulled a pair of white gloves from his pocket. He put them on slowly and stared directly into his Commander's eye. "And this whole building a new body or resurrection bull… this means he would have had to either pay equivalence or bypass the Gate."

Al rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Even if our magical theory is false, that is always Truth's dominion…"

"I'm aware of the implications," sighed Mustang. "That is precisely why I want you two to go and investigate."

Moody raised his head at that statement. "And what exactly does that mean? What are you not telling us?"

"The Elrics have a long and storied history with the domain that this Voldemort character has crossed into. A specialty that will never cross into their official files." Mustang set his jaw and met the natural eye of the ex-auror. "Anyone with that knowledge would not be able to abide the blatant disregard for human life. I would go myself but given my position, I can no longer do the foot work myself. I have to send these two."

Dumbledore held up a hand between the two men. "I believe that is enough, Alastor. I believe Flamel may have written on the domain he is speaking of. I will have to check the research he left me. If that is the case then we should be lucky that these boys are here with us." Mustang gave the old man a curt nod which he responded with a grandfatherly smile. "Now if that is all, I believe we must start back to the Ministry."

"Right, of course." Standing from his seat and walking around his desk, Mustang began ushering people out of his door.

"General Mustang, sir," said Ed standing at a stiff attention. "I would like to use your phone."

"As you will, Fullmetal. Tell Winry I said hello." Ed nodded and turned to the phone while everyone else filed out to wait in the outer office.

As the door shut behind them, Dumbledore turned to face the younger Elric. "So, who is Winry?"

"She's Ed's wife. She is carrying their first child," he responded with a small smile. "She is due in October."

It wasn't long after that a solemn Edward left the office. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Be safe, Fullmetal. I think you may be right about this being similar to the Promised Day." Mustang gave them both a salute which they returned. "Besides my record for keeping all of my subordinates alive is spotless."

"We'd hate to ruin that for you."

After farewells to the rest of Mustang's team, they left to go through to the Ministry of Magic. It was a moderately long walk to the bowels of central to get to the Gate. They walked mostly in silence making little small talk. The closer they got, the more nervous and twitchy both alchemists got.

Finally, they reached the monolith and steeled their nerves. A corporal opened the gate and gave the party a salute as they passed. They walked briskly through the white space. The endless expanse stretched on and on. Exit through the far door was a great relief.

Ed and Al looked around at their new surroundings. "Well. My body is the same as it was going in how 'bout you?" asked Ed with a sly grin.

"Well, I'm not seven feet tall and hollow so I think I'm…" Al's witty response was interrupted by a voice calling across the room.

"Welcome envoys of Amestris to the Ministry of Magic!" The owner of the voice was a portly, middle aged man wearing a green bowler hat.

 **END OF CHAPTER TWO**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter two. Favorite, review, or go to Nepal to live as a goat. I don't know, I'm not your mother. You should call her more, though. She worries about you. Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.**

 **In the meantime, have a good week.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So, as promised this is chapter 3. See, I am an upstanding member of this community. If you are returning, thanks for coming back. I hope this story is to your liking so far. If it's your first time… well you've come all the way to the third chapter so I'll assume you like it too. A couple of notes before we get started: I appreciate all reviews and notes so, thank you.**

 **To '1 One Piece Fan': I write the chapters until I feel there is a natural stopping point. However, chapters 5 and 6 are a bit longer. I'm glad you like the stories.**

 **To 'Pokeperson01': I'm very glad you are enjoying the story so far. Please, do not harm your phone whilst reading fanfiction or while waiting for an update. :)**

 **To 'Guest': I do my best to be accurate to both universes. Both my reading and the wiki page indicate that the military ranks of Amestris indicate a structure mirroring the US Army.**

 **Now here we go.**

 **Chapter 3**

 _"You're all brainless zombies who never even tried to think for yourselves." –Edward Elric_

 _Ministry of Magic_

 _July 22_ _nd_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

"Welcome envoys of Amestris to the Ministry of Magic!" The owner of the voice was a portly, middle aged man wearing a green bowler hat. The man was flanked by two individuals. On his right was a short squat woman with a toadish face. Her clothes were a horrendous shape of pink. On the bowler hat's left was a tall lanky young man with flaming hair and horn-rimmed glasses. "Welcome! Welcome! I am the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. This is my Undersecretary Delorous Umbridge and my assistant Percy Weasley."

Dumbledore stepped around the ambassadors to a stand at their side. "Minister it is my pleasure to introduce Colonel Edward Elric and Major Alphonse Elric."

Fudge gave a strained smile to the older wizard and grunted a thank you through gritted teeth, which caused Mad-Eye to snort behind them. The Minister cleared his throat and focused on the Headmaster. "Soldiers, Dumbledore? I was under the impression you were bringing state certified alchemists to teach, not combatants. You haven't been exaggerating to our neighbors have you?"

"If you are referring to the rumors of the resurrecting terrorist that you yelled at our superior over, then I will tell you what he was trying to. He was trying to tell you that the people of Amestris do not believe that such things are possible," said Alphonse with a slight edge in his voice. "As for the rank my brother and I hold that is because state certified alchemists in Amestris are members of the military entering at the rank of major. If you had simply waited for an explanation all of this would have been explained."

"Ah, yes well…" started the woman in pink.

"If you feel that the Führer has chosen us in error, I am sure we could tell him that he is mistaken."

"No, no Major. I'm sure Führer Grumman chose correctly." The Minister may be an ignorant man but he wasn't stupid it he rejected the two men that would never see another Amestrian again. "Now, if you two would go with Mr. Weasley we will get your paperwork sorted out. Professor Dumbledore you and ex-auror Moody may go now."

"What sort of paperwork are we talking here?" asked Ed scratching his forehead with a gloved hand.

"Just visas, ambassadors' paperwork, and a press release," replied the assistant, Weasley.

"Yeah, no. I'm not doing a press release."

"But our world has been monitoring these doors for four years-"

"No."

Minister Fudge held up his hands in surrender. "If they do not want to talk to the press then they do not have to, Weasley. Now, off you go!" Fudge and his entourage forced the two alchemists through the door to the waiting crowd of reporters and camera flashes.

The doors shut the behind them leaving Dumbledore and Moody alone in the chamber with four guards and the attendant to the Great Doors.

"So, Alastor. What do you make of the boys?" asked the headmaster in a voice barely above a whisper.

"The older one is definitely is a fighter. He has a false leg in addition to that arm. He is covered in scars to boot." Alastor shook his head. These young men were quite the pair. "The younger one has just as much mettle. But there isn't a mark on his body over four years old. But he carries himself like he's seen almost as much action as the other. They are also keeping to many secrets for my liking."

"Hmmm… they seem to be odd. We can't blame them for hiding things. If they crossed into the realms that Voldemort is comfortable in and came out clean… I would not be willing to share either. Now, if you wouldn't mind heading to see Padfoot to ensure that there is rooms in his doghouse?"

Moody nodded and headed for the door. "I'll meet you in the atrium when I'm done."

 _Three and a half hours later_

It had been two hours before Moody had returned and another hour and a half after that before the crowd of reporters signified the return of the foreign alchemists. The two wizards pushed through the members of the media and met in the middle with Ed and Al. "Leave them alone, now. They have had a long day and it's not over yet," called Dumbledore gripping each man by the shoulder and directing them to the apparition point at past the rows of fireplaces.

"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore. They are relentless." Al pulled some documents from the inside of his coat. "We are all set. Visas, stamps in our passports, and papers indicating we are diplomats."

"Good, we are going to take you to get you up to date on educational affairs. If you would take Alastor's hand and Ed if you take mine, we will be getting out of here."

Ed complied and took the headmasters hand. "What does hand holding have to do with traveling?"

Twinkling blue eyes met his molten gold ones. "We will be apparating. Best to exhale and keep your eyes shut."

They turned on their heels and vanished.

 _London, England_

 _July 22_ _nd_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Suddenly, there was a squeezing sensation that felt like they were being pushed through a half inch steel pipe. The sensation ended as quickly as it had started leaving the wizards standing over two collapsed alchemists. Alphonse was on his hands and knees vomiting.

"Hey, you ok, little brother?" asked Ed with concern filling his voice.

"Yes but I'd rather go back to the Gate then do that again."

Ed brought his legs under him and stood slowly. "Man. That was rough on the old ports." After helping his brother to his feet, he took a look at their surroundings. It was an urban street named Grimmauld Place. Directly in front of him was an empty lot between Numbers 13 and 11. "This doesn't look like any school I've ever been to."

Al raised a brow at Ed. "That's because we haven't been to school in nine years and that was a one room school house."

"Shut up."

"Stop bickering, and read this," grumbled Moody. He handed Al a small piece of parchment.

 _The Headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix_

 _Can be found at 12 Grimmauld Place_

"Now give it here." He snatched the scrap back and lit it on fire.

Ed and Al looked back to the empty lot in front of them. In its place stood a house that matched all of the other houses on the street. "Now that right there. That's impossible."

"Ed, I think we stepped in it big time."

"Come on, you lot. We need to get off the street. And keep quiet when we get inside. You don't want to wake up Lady Black." Moody hobbled out across the street and onto the stoop. The other three followed close and slipped into the house behind him.

The door opened into a long dimly lit hallway of dusty floors and peeling grimy wallpaper. A disturbing umbrella stand that appeared to be made from the leg of something and at the end of the hall was a staircase. Murmured voices came from the door on the right.

"Ah, here we are. Right on time for the meeting," said Dumbledore slipping past the other three. He opened the door into a dingy dining room. Along the far wall ran a long china cabinet shacked high with dishes. The table was, like the rest of the house far, old and long. Fourteen people were sitting around the table. They were an odd collection of folk. They ranged in age from only a few years older than Ed and Al to a woman aged almost to Granny Pianko's age. Conversations halted as all four of them shuffled in. "Ah, I'm glad you are all here." He moved to take the seat at the head of the table. Moody left to seat on the far side of the table leaving the last remaining seat next to a young woman with vibrant blue hair.

All eyes were on the brothers. Ed looked at the woman and then to his brother. He leaned over to his brother ear and whispered, "I'm a married man, Al. Besides your nineteen and haven't had a girlfriend yet." He ripped the suitcase from Al's hand and shoved him towards the available seat. Al turned and glared at him but, took the seat nonetheless. Ed smiled smugly, stacked the suitcases against the wall and sat on top.

"Well yes, now that we are all situated, I believe we can get started…"

The meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was mostly uneventful. Dumbledore issued orders on who was supposed guard a teenager named Harry Potter. He also stated that another man named Hagrid was on a mission with a woman to gather forces. A man in billowing black robes named Severus was evidently a double agent in the enemy camp. He spent a good deal of time listing the movements of the man known as Voldemort. Overall, Ed and Al thought that the meeting was useful. They were focusing on consolidating forces while keeping updated on the movements of enemies.

"I believe that is all. Does anyone have anything else to add?" asked Dumbledore.

A plump red haired woman raised her hand and gestured at the two strangers in the room. "Who are these two young men? Are they even old enough to join the Order?"

"Since business is concluded, I believe that some introductions are in order. As some of you may know we have secured the assistance from beyond the Great Doors in the Ministry. These two young men are State Alchemists from the country of Amestris. This is Major Alphonse Elric and his brother Colonel Edward Elric." Dumbledore pointed to each man in turn. "I'm sure you will all make them feel comfortable."

"Nice to meet you boys but, are you sure they sent you the right people. They hardly look old enough."

"I'm 19 and my brother is 20. I believe that is over the age of majority in both of our countries," said Al with an exasperated groan. "Why do you people keep assuming we're children?"

"You two are barely older than the twins and the same age as Percy!"

"And I'm only 23. What's your point?" piped the vibrant young woman next to Al.

Moody let out a groan. "Quit your crooning woman and you to Tonks. Children don't have missing limbs or scars like that and they sure as hell done act like these two."

All eyes snapped to the two alchemists causing Ed to sigh, "Fine. Not like it's a secret back home." He pulled the glove off of his left hand to show that it was flesh. He took a breath then removed the glove off of the right one, revealing his automail. "Al and I haven't been children for a long time."

Dumbledore cleared his throat getting the attention of the members of the Order. "If there are no more objections, then I believe it is time to adjourn for the night. Molly has prepared a meal if you'd like to stay but you are free to return to your lives."

 **END OF CHAPTER THREE**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter three. Favorite, review, or send me nasty messages about how I'm a poor excuse for a writer. I don't know, I'm not your boss. Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.**

 **In the meantime, have a good week.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So, as promised this is chapter 4. If you are returning, thanks for coming back. I hope this story is to your liking so far but, you've probably started skipping these notes. If it's your first time… well by now you've probably stopped reading these too. Anyhow here we go.**

 **Gateways**

 **Chapter 4**

 _"Alphonse, no! No, dammit. You won't take him too. Give him back! He's my brother! Take my leg. Take my arm! Take my heart, ANYTHING, YOU CAN HAVE IT! Just give him back! He's my little brother, he's all I have left!" –Edward Elric_

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England_

 _July 23_ _rd_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Al woke up from his nightmare with a violent start. His looked around in panic which caused him bolt upright in the creaky bed. Then it all came back to him the mission, the Gate, the mission, and the dinner. After the meeting the members split up including Molly and her husband. They said something about a family to care for of which their pompous guide at the Ministry was a member. It was a sore spot for them.

Only Edward, Alphonse, and three of the Order members stayed to eat. Sirius Black was a wanted fugitive who owned this grim abode he was obviously malnourished but, his long graying hair was clean and goatee was trimmed. Remus Lupin was an old friend to Sirius who was in his mid-thirties. His graying brown hair was neatly trimmed and his face was marred by three scars. Tonks was a young witch with a peppy personality who Al had the pleasure of sitting with during the meeting. Her status as a metamorphmagus had shocked the Amestrians but it was clearly not a cause for concern her so they tried to relax around her.

The five of them spent the evening covering many topics. They compared Amestris and England. Remus offered to assist the boys in creating lesson plans and the basics of being a Hogwarts teacher as he himself had been a professor a few years prior. Sirius and Tonks had given them some helpful advice for how to deal with Ministry officials as they were an ex-auror and auror respectfully. There was also a good deal of story trading between all of them. Overall, it was a good night.

Alphonse stretched and looked over to Ed's empty bed. _'He must already be up,'_ he thought. He rose from the bed and headed for the dining room on the floor below. The rough cold floor caused him to move gingerly to the door but he stopped when he heard a conversation through the dining room door.

"…So Ed, can I ask what happened to your arm? You were rather quiet on the subject last night," Al heard Sirius say. He must have been up early too. Given twelve years in that hellhole of a prison it wasn't surprising.

Ed sighed heavily and put down what sounded like a pen on the table. "Sure. I won't tell you everything but… I can give you the gist." He paused and slurped from a drink. "There are certain limits on what magic can do, yeah?"

There was a pregnant pause where Al assumed that he was nodding. "They can be somewhat flexible though."

"Alchemy has those too. Only without the flexibility. If you exceed those limits there is a rebound. If a certain act is attempted there is almost never equivalence. I convinced Al to try and attempt one of the forbidden acts. As a result, Al was put into a fatal position. I traded my arm to save him."

"You now, magic can sometimes regrow limbs. Maybe…"

"No," came Ed's reply. "Because of the way I lost it, there are only two ways I can get my arm back. One, is horrible and we have promised never to use it. The other would mean reversing trading Al."

There was a pause filled by the creaking of a wooden chair. "I'd make the same call for Remus and James. Even my actual brother, the bloody bastard."

Ed slurped his drink again. "You have a brother?"

"Not anymore. Regulus died during the war. He sided with Voldemort, much to my parents delight. Never found out how he passed." Sirius' voice was quiet. It had a sadness that only crept into his voice when he spoke of James the night before.

"I'm sorry."

Sirius didn't respond for a moment. "He may have been the enemy… but he was still my little brother."

There was a long pause where neither man spoke. Al figured it was that was his cue to enter. He walked in to see Ed in the long sleeve shirt and pajama pants he wore the night before. Sirius was in similar attire. Before each man was a mug of coffee and Ed also had a notebook and pen. "What are you two doing up so early?" asked Al trying to shift the subject to something lighter.

Ed smiled at his brother. "The damp here is hell on my ports. Woke me up a little bit ago."

"I couldn't sleep," said Sirius simply. He slurped at his coffee. "So when do you plan on asking out my cousin?"

Al's eyes went wide and he started stammering.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Calm down, ladies' man. He's joking." He gestured down to the notebook in front of him. "I've started on those lesson things Remus mentioned."

Al fought down his blush and sat next to Ed. "Well, then I better make sure you don't maim anyone!" He was punched in his arm with a metal hand.

Sirius smiled at the brothers working in front of him. It took him back twenty years. Back to before Hogwarts, before he and Regulus grew apart. Simpler times. The man swept away the tear forming in his eye then began to give his input.

 _Outside Number 4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging, Surrey, England_

 _July 23_ _rd_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

The man standing before the residence of Harry Potter wearing a face that was not his own. He stood directly below a streetlamp and within perfect view of the smallest bedroom of Number 4 Privet Drive. It was the perfect way to play with the mind of his quarry. This continuing alliance with this 'Dark Lord' character was proving to be quite fun. Of course the involvement of those blasted Amestrians from that damned Gate had almost caused the collapse of the plans they had developed concerning the Potter boy. Especially, _those_ Amestrians. If that plan failed then he and his siblings would never get their revenge.

Originally, the Man with the Borrowed Face and his siblings had convinced Voldemort to allow the Ministry to tear the boy apart. He would be removed from the equation by the Ministry officials trying to discredit the Dark Lord's return. It was perfect. The damned 'ambassadors' had mucked it all up. Now they had to take direct action and the new plan had to rely on that Dumbledore fool's habit of playing it close to his chest.

But, that doesn't mean he couldn't have fun in the meantime. Across the street there was movement in the window. His quarry's eyes widened in horror and let out a yell that didn't reach the ears of the Man with the Borrowed Face. He smiled in glee and turned on his heel and Harry Potter watched as Cedric Diggory walked into the darkness.

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _July 29_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

The Weasley Family flooed to the sitting room of Headquarters in the early evening. Molly had been arranging this with Sirius and Dumbledore since the last Order meeting. Dumbledore was hoping to fully open the house to create a true safe house. Sirius just wanted the cheap labor to clean out the nasties. In response Molly, had gotten her underage children to pack their trunks to stay at the Black family home for the remainder of the summer.

Sirius greeted them in the hall. "Hello, Molly," he whispered somewhat coldly. He obviously didn't care for the woman. But he did turn on some charm to the children. "And hello to you guys. How's your leg Ron?"

Ron's face flushed and he returned the bright smile somewhat nervously. "Fully recovered."

"Good, good. Now we don't have an Order meeting in the dining room tonight so we should probably get your trunks squared away so we can eat…" Sirius sent Molly into the dining room to wait with the few other guests while he led her children upstairs to their rooms. Ginny was given her own room as were the twins and Ron. After letting them put away their trunks, he pointed out the bathroom between the twins' and Ginny's rooms. Sirius also pointed out a fourth bedroom with the door shut to explain that other guests were there. He knocked on the door to announce dinner before heading back downstairs.

The twins faced their siblings in the hall and leaned against the landings railing.

Ginny grimaced at their surroundings as she said, "Well isn't this just a cheery place."

Ron's stomach growled loudly. "Snark later. Food now."

 _In the Dining Room_

The Weasley children entered the dining room and arranged themselves around the other adults in the room. Sirius and their former Professor Lupin were talking animatedly at the corner of the table. Their mother was setting dishes on the table. A witch sat quietly staring at the door and tapping foot as her hair cycled through multiple colors.

The twins got her attention in the manner only they can. "Well, Forge…"

"Isn't that…"

"It is."

"Miss Tonks! Pleasure to see you again," they said in unison.

The witch in question rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you to, boys. You tell your older brother, I'm not yet sorry about our little spat in seventh year."

Ginny's face split into a wide grin. "That was you? Man, Charlie couldn't sit right for a week! How'd you do it?"

Tonks reclined in her chair and smiled slyly but before she could speak Mrs. Weasley put a firm hand on her shoulder. "Tonks, dear. Let's not go about corrupting anymore of my children."

"Aw… Mum!" she shouted as the door opened.

Mrs. Weasley glared but didn't say anything as the door swung open and two blonde men walked in. "Wotcher, Al! Ed!"

One was wearing a dress shirt tucked into slacks. He had short hair. The other man could only have been his long haired brother. He was wearing a tank top tucked into his slacks with a long brown coat over it. The thing that drew the attention of the teenagers was the metal hand at the bottom of the right sleeve. Upon seeing the faces focusing on him the man withdrew gloves from his pocket and put them on. "What?" asked the man. He drew the coat around him tighter. "It's not polite to stare you know."

 **END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter four. Not my best work but necessary for the continuation of my plot. Favorite, review, or fight sharks in the ocean. I don't know, I'm not a marine biologist. Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.**

 **In the meantime, have a good week.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** **If you are returning, thanks for coming back. I hope this story is to your liking so far, the multitude of reviews and favorites bring a flutter to the sub-cockles of my heart. If it's your first time, I appreciate your visit to my personal insane asylum. Anyhow here we go.**

 **Chapter Five**

 _"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord! Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!" –Severus Snape_

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _Aug 5_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

It had been two weeks since the Weasley children had moved in the house and the Elrics had not had a moment's peace since then. The twins attempted pranks and made such noise that Ed an Al could not focus. The younger two badgered them endlessly about why they were they and why Ed had a metal hand. The problem had gotten much worse after the first week when another teenager showed up. This 'Hermione' person recognized them from the paper. The fact that they were professors opened up a whole new level of badgering. All of that was combined with the disturbed 'House Elf' named Kreacher. He hated the Elrics and glared or muttered profanities about them when they were near.

Ed breathed out heavily and leaned back in his chair while people milled around waiting for the meeting to start. _'To think I used to crave the attention,'_ he thought looking around at the other Order members around him. The meeting this week provided welcome relief from the annoyances in his life. Tonks was stealing his little brother little by little and Al didn't even see it yet. It brought a smile to Ed's face. It was almost adorable.

Almost all of the members from last week's Order meeting were in attendance. The only absences were Severus and Albus. The latter was perpetually late and the meetings only started when he walked in. Severus had the envious position as the Order's spy. The spy had given a worrying report the week before. Apparently, this Dark Lord character had somehow gained his own Alchemical Advisors. If that by itself wasn't troubling, these advisors may have had a hand in the dark ceremony that built him his new body based on the conversations that Snape had heard. Voldemort kept these meetings private and not even Severus or Bellatrix had seen them in person. From what the spy could divine these Advisors had at least been to the Elrics world. The one thing Ed could assure them is that no one had been through that Gate since it had appeared four years prior. This only increased the attempts by the Elrics to learn about the ritual Voldemort used.

Dumbledore opened the door to the dining room in a very un-Dumbledore-like manner which caused the room to go stock silent. "Tonight's meeting is canceled. We have an emergency operation. Severus passed me a message just now. This mission I am proposing is going to be dangerous and will be by volunteer only. If you do not wish to participate, I understand. No judgement will be placed on you if you choose to do so. If you wish not to be involved leave now."

Sturgis Podmore, a middle aged wizard in the back of the room, cleared his throat. "How are we to volunteer if we don't know the mission?"

"This mission may very well be a suicide mission. If I tell you the objective, then you all will undoubtable volunteer. I cannot ask you to do that," Dumbledore said as he set himself heavily in his chair. He seemed to age by fifty years with that statement. "As I said, no one in this room will think less of you if you choose not to go."

The room sat in tense silence until murmuring broke out among the members. Soon Mundungus Fletcher left citing his desire to live. Elphias Doge and Daedalus Diggle followed suite but cited their advanced age. Molly and Arthur Weasley began having a heated discussion that ended with her smacking him before storming out.

McGonagall looked to her former student with pity from her seat where she had been preparing to leave. "Arthur, go see to your family. We can handle this." He tried to fight but a look from the stern woman silenced him. "Go. There are plenty here. There is no need to orphan your children." Relenting the younger man rose and left. This left twelve members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Ed, Al, and Dumbledore in the dining room.

"The message Severus passed along to me is that Voldemort intends to move on Privet Drive tomorrow night," said Dumbledore quietly. "The mission is to extract Harry Potter by morning."

Sirius launched out of his chair so quickly that it toppled over backwards and clattered to the floor. "Then what are we waiting for?" he shouted, clearly eager to pull his last link to his fallen friend out of danger. "We shouldn't waste any time!"

"It's not that simple. Voldemort's forces are already on site. He was forced to divulge that we were planning on moving him soon in order to keep his cover," said Dumbledore. He flicked his wand twice. Once to return the fallen chair to its feet and again to conjure a map of London and the surrounding lands. "Severus is not sure who the guards are. There is a chance that it could be the Alchemical Advisors or even members of the Inner Circle. The Lestranges personally powered the anti-apparition wards and they have a four mile radius. The only floo connected house in a reasonable distance is Mrs. Figg's house the next street over. Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging is located here in the northern part Surrey County. We are here in the heart of the Islington Borough." A red dot appeared on those spots and a circle surrounded the one in Northern Surrey. "The question becomes how do even get close?"

Tonks scratched her head in deep thought. "If we used brooms they'd blast us out of the bloody sky. Though, I suppose we could land outside the area being watched and leg it in."

A tall, dark-skinned wizard in the back of the room named Kingsley Shacklebolt shook his head and said, "No. We'd never make it out in time. There is no way to guarantee Potter's safety."

The assembled group sat in silence at the table until Alphonse spoke. "What if we took an automobile?" he asked quietly. "I saw some on the street when we arrived the other day."

"We could use those but, who among us is capable of driving them?" asked Dumbledore thoughtfully.

Sirius slowly raised his hand in the air. "It's been a spell but, I reckon I could still do it."

"I learned recently. I'm passable. I can't drive a standard though," said Hestia Jones who also raised a hand.

Dumbledore nodded. "I like the idea but," he paused and looked at Sirius. "It is not a good idea for you to leave the house."

"Albus, you know as well as I do that Sirius would storm the Ministry itself if it meant saving Harry," said Remus with a note of humor lacing his voice. "As would I, for that matter," he added before he leaned back into his chair.

"Aye," agreed Moody. "Better to have them with us then to have them on their own suicide run."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. He knew when he was beaten and when to pick his battles. "So, Major Elric what are your ideas here…"

 _Forty-five Minutes Later_

The plan devised was simple. They would split into four teams. Two teams would drive to the residence while the other two would wait past the anti-apparition zone for extraction. The distraction car team was made up of Sirius, Tonks, Al, and Moody. Tonks would enter the house under a thick hood then, change her appearance to resemble Potter when they exited. They would meet up with Shacklebolt and Podmore to the West for extraction. The other Ed, Hestia, and Remus would carry the real Harry, then dressed in Tonks' hood, to extraction by McGonagall and Emmaline Vance to the East. If they had access to polyjuice potion the plan would probably go over better but, given the urgency there was none.

The Weasley family saw them out the door and Arthur tried to remain calm about the whole situation. He desperately wanted to join them wished them the best instead. The only help on the mission he could offer was to help acquire the vehicles needed to carry it out. He started the vehicles while Ed and Al changed the paint color and plate numbers.

Soon, they were fully prepared to leave so, Moody called everyone together. "Now listen here, all of you. We stick to the plan and our time tables. No heroics. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! There is a chance we could all die and there is a chance that this mission could fail. We all accept these risks."

Shacklebolt placed a hand on Mad-eye's shoulder. "If either team is lost the other cannot break off to help. We cannot afford to lose everyone if we can help it."

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

 _Two Hours Later_

Hermione sat with the Weasleys in the dining room waiting for the return of the mission party. The children hadn't been told what the mission was but given the grim mood of the Weasley adults it was safe to assume that it was dangerous. Hermione looked up from her book and surveyed the room. The wins were playing a muggle card game quietly with Ginny while having a silent conversation. Ron was playing a game of wizard's chess with his father, who was obviously distracted by his thoughts. He kept checking his watch muttering about people should have returned. Mrs. Weasley sat knitting a sweater nearby on the tables and Dumbledore held the yarn for her as his own thoughts were occupying his attention. It was a tense quiet.

Hermione closed her arithmancy textbook and rubbed her tired eyes. "Well, I am going to go to bed. It is getting late."

Dumbledore looked up at his student with surpise. "Late? It's only… Ah, 11 o'clock. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

"Exactly, Albus. They should have been back by now," interjected Mr. Weasley.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Arthur. Have a good night, Ms. Granger."

"Good night, professor." Hermione left the dining room and stepped towards stairs at the end of the hall. As she reached the steps, she heard shouting outside the front door. The door suddenly swung violently inwards to reveal a bloodied Alphonse, who was carrying a bleeding Tonks. Sirius was right behind him holding a blood soaked piece of his shirt against his upper arm and Mad-Eye was behind Sirius. ShackleBolt and Podmore walked in swiftly after. All of them were shouting which cause the portrait of Lady Black began shouting. The two extractors quickly went to silence her.

Alphonse Elric kicked the door to the dining room open. "Move, clear the table!" he shouted to the room. Fred and George swept the cards, book, and yarn off the table in a swift motion. Al placed Tonks on the table and ripped her shirt open to reveal a violent slash that was deep in her abdomen. "Molly get those kids out of her!" He shed his shirt and pressed hard against the wound. "Sirius, I need bread, steak and citrus."

Sirius grabbed Podmore to help him gather the necessary materials from the kitchen. Kreacher could direct them down in the kitchen there but he couldn't be trusted to gather them quickly. Meanwhile, Moody and Shacklebolt pushed the Weasleys out of the room, leaving Al alone with his patient and Dumbledore.

"I'm sure I could close the wound with a spell," said a concerned headmaster as he peered over the younger man's shoulder.

Al shook his head. "Mr. Moody and Mr. Podmore both tried. Apparently, the curse that did this has no counter." Not a second later Sirius and Sturgis came back into the room with an arm load of food apiece.

"We're back," said Sirius as he set down the goods. "Now how will this save my cousin?"

"Levitate her." Dumbledore complied and Tonks lifted off the table. Al snatched the food and placed them in them on the table. He dug in his pocket and retrieved a piece of chalk. With expert precision, he drew a large and intricate transmutation circle. "Now set her down so the wound is in the middle of the circle." Al put the food around the wound and stood up straight. "This is how we save Tonks." He clapped his hands together, touched the food, and then slammed them onto the edge of the circle. There was a flash of brilliant blue light and half of the food disappeared and the blood stopped flowing out and reversed direction. Internal organs and muscle knit together and the redness around the slash lessened. When it was over, all that remained was the damaged skin. "I've never been very good at repairing skin. Its best if that heals on its own."

Dumbledore inspect the young alchemist's work. "Well, I certainly see why you are call, 'Healing Hands'. Alastor if you could, contact Madam Pomfrey. Young Nymphadora will need blood replenishing potions." Moody nodded and left the room bound for the fireplace. Flicking his wand, Dumbledore conjured a blanket to cover the wounded woman. He looked back at the four remaining and conscious members of the Order that were sent on the mission. "Now, can anyone explain why two of you are injured and why the other half of the mission team is missing?"

They quietly looked between each other tiredly and took seats on one side of the table. Alphonse sat closest to Tonks in order to keep an eye on her. Sirius tied the make-shift bandage around his arm and settled in. "The Dark Lord himself arrived. It was a trap. We smuggled Harry out like we planned. Tonks disguised herself and we started moving. It was then that they showed up. They must have had an apparition point. The Dark Lord fired a powerful cutting curse through the back of the car. It cut her and me. The other car looked like it got away clean. They could have tracked it down though."

"Given the lack of them being here, I'd say that is exactly what happened," said Kingsley gravely.

There was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal Minerva and Emmaline. Both ladies looked very grim and Minerva looked to be on the verge of tears. "The other car was intercepted. By the time we got there the muggle police were already there. The street looked like a battlefield… Hestia is dead. The others are missing. Including Harry," she said.

Gasps and crying was heard down the hall. Evidently, the Weasleys and Granger were within earshot. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione appeared around the corner and pushed through to the room. To see Tonks on the table and everyone else. "What happened to Harry? Is that what this was all about tonight?" asked a worried Ron.

"And Tonks? Is she alright? What was that light? What the bloody hell is going on?" Ginny asked. She was both curious and worried.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. He hated being the bearer of bad news. "We were trying to extract Harry tonight, yes. Tonks was wounded in the attempt but Mr. Elric used alchemy to help her heal. Harry's transport was attacked and one Order member died in the incident. Edward, Remus, and Harry are not accounted for."

 **END OF CHAPTER FIVE**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter five. Favorite, review, or Visit the Nightvale Water Front. Or don't. I don't know, I'm not a community radio host or a scientist.**

 **Now before we end a few notes:**

 **No the man with the borrowed face is not Envy. I have much worse plans.**

 **This is based in the Manga universe.**

 **Chapter 6 will be at least twice as long my average chapter, maybe more. As such after its posting there may be a week or two hiatus. This is because 6 has taken most of my time and I need to get back ahead of the curve. Sorry for any inconvenience.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I know, I'm late. Couldn't be helped.** **If you are returning, thanks for coming back. I really do appreciate that people read my story. Especially, after the last chapter. I got mixed reviews from it. I even lost a follower or two. If it's your first time, I appreciate you coming this deep into the fray. Anyhow here we go.**

 **Chapter 6**

" _What is life without a little risk?" –Sirius Black_

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _Aug 6_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

No one had slept at Grimmauld Place that night. They gathered in the kitchen in the early hours of the morning, the mood grim. The Order mission the night before had been a certified disaster. Of eleven assets and one package, one was dead, one was severely injured, and three were missing and possibly captured by the enemy. No one was pleased and Harry's friends were taking the news hard. They sat together at the farthest end of the table from the adults that had gathered in the dining room.

"Harry has to be fine. He's been through worse. He made it through the Tri-Wizard Tournament after all. He went through the Chamber," said Ginny somewhat hopefully for the hundredth time since they had gotten the news. She desperately wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Harry had saved her from Riddle in the Chamber and she felt indebted to him.

"Gin, he had help with all those things. You have to remain realistic. Harry might not be coming back," rebuked Ron. His eyes were red with tiredness and grief but his words bit at his sister who began to quietly cry.

Four separate voice all called simultaneously, "Ron!" His parents and brothers did not approve.

"Don't say things like that Ronald Bilius Weasley. I won't have my children fighting among themselves," said his mother quietly. "I just can't…" Her eyes began to water as memories of the last war swam in her mind. "Albus are you sure we can't send out a search party?"

The old man in question was sitting in his chair staring off into space. He was feeling all of his 113 years. So many, of his students had fallen in the last war and this one was shaping up to be just as taxing. "Molly. It is too dangerous given the circumstances. But, I do believe the three of them are safe for the time being. Mr. Elric here says that the puncture to the sewers at the crash site is proof of that."

As Dumbledore finished speaking a ghostly wolf bound into the room. Hermione looked up from her own puddle of grief and exclaimed, "A patronus! It's not a stag so, it's not Harry's. Is it from Professor Lupin?"

"Yes, it would appear so. How fitting it would be a wolf," replied Dumbledore with a smile. The warmth radiating from the corporeal patronus filled the room with hope.

The Wolf walked towards Dumbledore and sat. Suddenly, it began speaking in Remus' voice. It said, "Harry is safe. Hestia is dead. We are in central London. Ed thinks we have shaken our pursuers. On our way." When it had finished the specter howled silently and vanished. The room erupted into cheers and tears of joy at the news.

"Gin, I'm sorry I…" began Ron.

Ginny simply punched Ron in the shoulder. "Told you, so!"

Gred and Forge stepped up behind him slapped him on either side of his spine. "Ickle Ronniekins…"

"We should be…"

"More Optimistic…"

"Like our dear sister." They had alternated their sentences in the way that only they could.

Grinning across from him, Hermione wiped her tears and said, "Sometimes you have the optimism of a beached whale."

Ron turn a shade to match his hair and groaned. Under normal circumstances he would have argued but for once he didn't mind being wrong. He accepted his defeat in lieu of the shared victory. The group broke apart soon after. Many of the non-residents had day jobs they had to attend to. Moody had been given the burden of claiming the body of their fallen comrade. In the end the only adult still in the house were McGonagall, Dumbledore, Sirius, Molly, and Tonks who was resting in the sitting room. All of them waited anxiously for the arrival of their friend or adopted son.

The next two hours of waiting passed at snail's pace. Their eventual arrival was signified by the front door creaking open and three sets of feet shuffling in. Three tired and ragged figures appeared in the doorway to the dining room. Remus was in front. His already shabby robes were torn in several places and mud was caked onto them. Dried blood had adhered his hair to the right side of his head. Behind him stood Harry. His clothes were in much the same state as Remus and his faces was covered in scratches. Other than that he seemed mostly unharmed. Lastly, there was Ed. His clothes were torn and filthy and his legs and abdomen were soaked in blood. His right coat sleeve hung in tatters revealing damaged Automail beneath. The three of them were in a hell of a state.

Harry and Remus were immediately pulled into a series of bone crushing hugs and joyful celebrations. Ed sidestepped all of this, gave his brother a one armed hug, and collapsed into the chair next to him. Extracting himself from the mass, Remus removed a small object from his pocket and tapped it with his wand which caused it expand into Harry's school trunk. Harry was then ushered upstairs by Sirius and Molly to get cleaned up and relax for a bit and the rest of the Hogwarts students followed. As the crew left Ed and Remus felt all eyes turn to them.

"So, I guess you guys want a story, huh?" asked Ed. He shared an exhausted look with Remus and shrugged. "Fine. But, I need a cotton bandage first." Dumbledore conjured one and Ed took it hesitantly. He carefully took off his coat to reveal his arm which looked to have been punctured through the top plate and buckled the rear. Ed deftly removed the plates and wrapped it tightly with the bandage. The room eyed the arm carefully. They hadn't seen it in its entirety before but they knew their questions had to wait.

"We can write Winry tomorrow for a rebuild," said Al helpfully.

"No. The last thing she needs right now is to know that I'm fighting on a mission I told here was pure politics. Not to mention we have no way to explain to the Ministry why I need a mechanic since it shouldn't have been damaged in an unsanctioned mission." Ed's remarks were met with a glare from his brother.

"You're starting to sound like Mustang."

Dumbledore cleared his throat to interrupt the brewing confrontation. "Boys…" he began, "we need to know what happened."

Remus and Ed both sighed and look to grow older in the dim light of the dining room. "I guess I'll tell it…"

Meanwhile, upstairs Harry was pulled in the room that he and Ron were going to be sharing by the ginger teen. "Why the bloody hell did you stop writing to Hermione and me? We were trying to be there for you and you ignored us! You can't isolate yourself, mate!" shouted Ron.

"Ronald!" scolded Hermione. "I'm sure he has a perfectly valid explanation."

Harry angrily pushed Ron out of arm's reach. "What? You both stopped writing. Everyone stopped writing. You, Sirius, everybody. Even Dumbledore wouldn't answer my letters. Not that he even pretended to care after I left school. I didn't isolate myself, you isolated me!" Harry's anger was reaching an upper limit after everything he had endured last night and the three weeks prior when his nightmares began manifesting outside his window.

Hermione stepped between the two teenagers and put a hand on either ones chest. "Both of you stop," she said with a huff. She turned to Ron. "Ron, Harry has never just cut off writing on his own accord. He obviously didn't just start to ignore us after three weeks of steady letter writing." Her head whipped around to face Harry. "And you. Dumbledore wasn't responding because he wanted you to grieve and not focus on Voldemort. He told me and Ron to help you since we are the closest to you. And it's obvious why our letters never reached one another. They were being intercepted."

"What? Who would…?"

Harry was cut off by a finger from Hermione. "Think about it. You family's house was just attack by people waiting for the Order to come move you. It would make sense that they would try and isolate you beforehand to make you harder to coordinate with. Hedwig was probably confounded so as not to raise suspicion." Harry and Ron both instantly deflated at the thought. There was a reason she had top marks in their classes.

Ron let out a mirthful chuckle. "Thanks 'Mione. Where would we be without you?"

"Probably dead five or six times over, I suspect," replied Harry with a laugh.

"That's a given. You keep dragging us into danger."

"What? No, whose idea was it to follow the spiders?"

"Yours," said Ron.

"Ok, but who's idea was it to confront Sirius Black?"

"Still yours."

Harry paused to think. "Fine, but you've never stopped me," he said with a small smile.

"Oh yes, let's stop and debate the only plan we have to prevent mass murder. That's how legends are born." Ron rolled his eyes and smiled. "Mate, I think you need to reevaluate your debating prowess." The smile slid off his face a moment later. "But first, what happened last night. We heard an Order member died."

The three of them sat on the beds when the other Weasley children burst into the room. "We wanna know too."

 _Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging_

 _Surrey, England_

 _August 5_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Harry had been sitting alone in his room as was his custom when his 'family' left on holiday. He had felt more isolated than ever given recent events. The Dursley residence had been broken into by Sirius, Professors Lupin and Moody, and a vibrant young witch named Tonks. They declared themselves members of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. Moody pushed past the shocked boy and wordlessly began packing his belongings in his trunk. He shrunk it and handed it to Remus without a word.

Without much of an explanation as to why they were there, Harry was given the hood Tonks was wearing when she began wearing his face. They then spirited him out the house and into one of the waiting car.

"Why can't I go with Sirius?" asked Harry as he settled into the seat.

Remus turned in the front passenger seat to face his former student and said, "Anyone watching the house would think you would go with your godfather and that Moody would want to be at your side." The man sighed quietly. "But you are just as safe here. This is Hestia Jones. She'll be driving us tonight. To your right is Edward Elric. You're in good hands Harry."

Harry gave both of the Order Members a small wave. Outside the vehicle a car horn sounded to signify it was time to depart. Both cars started and drove in opposite directions down Privet Drive. They didn't make it two houses away before the world turned to hell. Out of the shrubs across from Number 4, came Lord Voldemort himself and ten masked Death Eaters, as though on a midnight stroll.

The Dark Lord turned to the decoy car and fired a white blade of light at the back of it. Sirius swerved to miss but the cutting curse tore through the driver's side of the car. The car sped up and disappeared around the corner.

Meanwhile, half over the Death Eaters stormed the residence while the other half fired several volleys of curses at the true transport vehicle. Most of them went wide but a few of them hit their mark. Harry felt himself be pulled to the floorboards. Ed held him down with one hand and drew a muggle handgun with the other. He fired out of the shattered rear windscreen at the attackers.

"Jones! Step on it! Go!" shouted Ed over the sound of the gunshots.

"NO! We have to go back for Sirius," said Harry as he struggled under the steel-like hand of the blonde man.

"Harry," said Remus from the front seat. His voice was leveled and calm but his knuckles on his wand hand were white. "We had a decoy car for a reason. Trust Sirius to get them…"

Hestia cut him off. "Remus! Shield for you and Harry. Ed, Brace yourself!" she shouted. Before the speeding vehicle stood three individuals in the middle of the street. A man of medium height and build with pale skin and black eyes was in the middle. He was flanked by two masked Death Eaters with wands drawn. The pale man flicked his wrist and wandlessly fired some sort of piecing hex toward the driver. A long black spike plunged through Hestia's chest and into Edward's right forearm as he held up is arms in defense. The car then flipped into the air as a result blasting hexes fired into the engine by the flanking wizards and Harry's vision went black.

Harry regained consciousness in time to see the black spike dissolve to ash and Hestia slump forward against the steering wheel. Blood coated the area around her. The dull and lifeless eyes stared back into Harry's emerald ones. He began to shut down and he saw visions of Cedric in the graveyard. As he drifted into shock Ed backhanded him to pull him back to reality.

"Stay with me, Potter," he hissed. Ed holstered his weapon and shoved the boy out of the passenger side door and on to the pavement. "Stay low and be ready to move." His voice was barely above a whisper. Ed crawled to Lupin's door, opened it, and caught the unconscious man as fell out of the car. He dragged him back to where Harry was crouched. "Hold on to him," he said. "And brace for an impact."

Harry hefted his former professor and cradled his upper body. He was greatly confused. Ed didn't even have a wand. "What are you…?" Harry was cut off by Ed clapping his hands together and slamming them onto the concrete beneath them. Azure lightning erupted from around his hands and the ground crumbled away. Harry gripped the older man in in his arms tightly as he fell down into the sewers. "What the hell?"

"Shut up," hissed Ed in return. He grabbed Lupin by the shoulders and pulled him from Harry's grip. He set him deeper into the tunnel. Harry was staring wide eyed at the car which was just visible over the edge of the hole. Ed rolled his eyes and pulled him by his shirt collar over to the down man. He clapped his hands again and put one on the tunnel wall. Rubble collapsed around the hole putting a thick wall of rubble between the opening and the trio. Ed walked back over to Lupin and hefted him onto his shoulders. "It's just a concussion. He'll be fine. Now let's go, kid."

Harry walked numbly behind Ed through the dark tunnels. The only light shone down from street lamps through the storm drains that were evenly spaced. For almost an hour they walked down a curvy sewer line. Ed finally stopped and set Lupin down beneath one of the filtered beams of light under the storm drain. Harry kneeled next to him and checked the old werewolf's pulse. A steady beat drummed beneath his hand. "At least no else will die for me tonight," he said as he leaned back against the bricks.

Ed sat down across from Harry. "Geez, kid. Being a little self-centered aren't you?" he said from the shadowy side of the tunnel.

"What the hell would you know?" growled Harry.

"I've been where you are, brat. They didn't die you. Just like others never died for me. They died because they believed in a cause. The Old Man told us the risks and all of us accepted that this may be our last fight. We didn't even know you were the mission we'd already volunteered. So, stow the self-pity until we get you to the finish line."

"Then they died because of me then. Because I did nothing. Just like Cedric." He set his head on his knees and stifled a cry.

Ed groaned from the shadowy side of the damp tunnel. "This has got to be some kind of cruel irony," he muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear. "Harry, no action you could have taken would have prevented what happened tonight. You're a student. Not a soldier. You aren't trained." The blonde man stood and stepped into the filtered light. "Maybe next time you can save the man next to you. You can't save people who have died but, you can ensure they didn't die in vain. Get on your feet and get moving. It's all you can do."

Harry watched numbly as Ed hefted the unconscious man in the party. He saw the faces of Hestia and Cedric swim into his vision. For a moment, he wondered if her face would haunt the streets as he tried to sleep as well. He was broken out of his reverie by a swift and hard kick from Ed's left leg.

"Off your ass. We need to move. Mope later when there isn't a target on your head," said Ed as continued down the tunnel with Lupin on his shoulder. He was almost out of sight around a bend when he shouted, "Now, Potter!"

The teen in question, grumbled with rising anger at the man. A woman died. Still, he relented. As much as he hated to admit it, Ed was right: mourning would have to wait. Harry rose to his feet and trudged after Ed.

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _August 6_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

"... then we walked back to London via underground tunnels and back alleys," finished Harry. He ran a hand through his hair thick and tangled hair. A bath was on his agenda later on. Physically he was exhausted as he just walked from Little Whinging to Islington in a night and had been in a serious car accident. Mentally, he was reeling from the trip with Ed. They hadn't spoken much since they had rested in the tunnel despite having questions rip through his head. He refused to give the older blond the satisfaction. What they had spoken about was best left between the two of them. Harry also neglected to mention that Cedric had been visiting Privet Drive. That would open up conversation on things he didn't want to share. "Professor Lupin came round when we were well into London. That was when he sent the patronus."

Harry's friends sat in silence following the completion of the tale that would one day be called the Battle of Number Four. At present, sympathy poured out onto the boy stretched out on the bed in front of them. Ginny cleared her throat and broke the silence. "Sounds to me like we owe Ed thanks for bringing you here," she said shakily.

The other occupants slowly nodded in agreement. "He may be a right git, but he did save your life which makes him ok in my book," added Ron.

Harry shrugged, unconvinced. "What else do you know about him?" he asked, desperate to keep the topic off of Hestia or Cedric.

While Harry's friends began to fill him in about the last few weeks, Ed and Remus had finished their account of the evening and were in turn given an accounting of the other team's mission. At some point Tonks wandered in from the sitting room where she had been resting. Her torso was firmly wrapped in white bandages and her shoulders had a thick comforter wrapped around them. She had entered sleepily, sat next to Al, and set her head on his shoulder. It added much needed humor to the grim tale.

"So, there was a trap set in case we had tried to move him... very clever, Tom," mused Dumbledore. While the night had nearly ended in disaster, it had revealed a number of facts to him. The first and foremost was that he had greatly failed Harry by trying to protect him in the manner he had. He would need to reevaluate his designs for how Harry would be prepared to fight Voldemort. Perhaps the Elrics could help him confirm his suspicions... The Elrics themselves posed two revelations to the old Headmaster after this night. They proved their trustworthiness more than once and not to mention their combat effectiveness. They clearly could be trusted with the information on Tom's misdeeds and he would need their help in the coming war. Also, the Elrics, or at least Ed, were capable and willing to use deadly force. It was mildly disconcerting that a man so young was willing to strike others down so definitively. Severus had managed to slip a short brief along the usual channels during the night. The set of Death Eaters that had attacked Harry's party received seven gunshot wounds between them. Four of the shots would had been fatal if not for the ridiculous masks that Tom insisted his followers wear.

Remus assumed a slumped posture in his seat. "And we lost one of our own in the process. Do we have anyone to claim her body? Her family was lost after the last war."

"Don't worry about that, Moony," said Sirius as he laid a hand Remus's shoulder. "Mad-Eye left this morning. She'll be at peace soon." The werewolf nodded and offered a small smile. Sirius shifted his gaze to Ed and raised a brown brow. "How do you think Harry is doing, Ed?" he asked quietly.

"He'll be fine. Eventually," replied Ed looking down at his mismatched hands. "He's putting all of this on his shoulders." He ran a flesh hand over his prosthetic arm gently. "He needs to talk to someone before it eats him alive."

"Sounds as though Mr. Potter is sticking to his past behaviors," supplied Dumbledore rather unhelpfully. "I am sure he will be fine for the next few minutes until we are done here. Edward, what else can you tell us about the piercing spell that killed Ms. Jones and pierced your arm?"

"I don't think it was a spell." Ed paused and glanced to his little brother. "From what I've seen, you wizards need wands to cast magic, yeah? The pale guy who killed Jones… he raised his hand and his _fingers_ extended into spears. He probably isn't even human."

Al's eyes went wide and a look of horror passed over his face. "Brother, you don't mean…"

"Yea, Al. I do. The car rolled over, him. He was flattened into paste. Then he got up and shrugged it off."

Remus traded looks with Dumbledore. "What are you saying, Ed?" he asked. "People don't get up after being… being flattened."

"People don't. I think that that guy was a homunculus. I think that's who Voldemort has been getting his alchemical advice from," said Ed stoically.

Dumbledore reclined in his seat with an unreadable expression on his face. "What is a homunculus?"

"A homunculus," began Al. "Is an artificial human created through alchemy. Brother and I are part of only a handful of people that have faced one directly and lived. But, they were thought destroyed or made inactive four years ago."

"Could this one have survived and crossed the Great Doors on their own to seek refuge?" asked Dumbledore.

Ed shook his head. "Unlikely. There were only eight homunculi ever confirmed. Seven of those were cast offs from the original. Look, these _things_ are dangerous. One can decimate an army. Two a region. With enough time they can manipulate the chess board and _invent_ the rules. Almost every military conflict that Amestris has enter into over 400 years was at the behest of the homunculi. We'll tell you more but… but we need time to theorize as to how they got here and why they decided to work form a lowly human." He shared a look with his brother for a moment before adding, "And contact Mustang concerning sharing highly classified information regarding them."

Dumbledore stood up from the table and prepared to leave. "I'll assume you will share when you are able. In the meantime, I must go and check some sources. We'll cancel the meeting for the night and add a short memorial to next week." He paused at the door and turned back to the blonde visitors. "Thank you, boys, for your work tonight. Give me some time to gather some information. I'll tell you what I know."

 **END CHAPTER 6**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter six. This is my favorite chapter so far. One of you mentioned that it escalated quickly. That is because I felt I needed a bit of action before Hogwarts. Favorite, review, or donate a lost paining to charity. It's just sitting in your attic, not doing you any good. Anyway, next chapter will be up in two weeks. Then we should be back to regularly scheduled program.**

 **In the meantime, have a good week.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Welcome! All announcements will be made at the end of this chapter.**

 **Here we go.**

 **Chapter 7**

" _It was a fair question, although the problem with fair questions is that they are asked about an unfair world." –Joseph Fink, Welcome to Night Vale, the novel_

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _August 25_ _th_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

One week before the start of term, Ed and Al were being moved to Hogwarts in order to not arouse more suspicion from the Ministry. The mysterious death of Hestia Jones in a muggle area and the magical damage in the nearby neighborhood had cause Fudge to begin watching Dumbledore more closely. As a result the recent order meetings had been brief and the aged Headmaster had to leave immediately following adjournment to return to his office. The absence of the Amestrians in Hogwarts had finally been noticed when ministry officials had gone to call on them at the school and question them on their sudden increase in communication with their superior.

It took the whole first week of writing to Mustang to achieve clearance to share what Amestris knows about the homunculi with the Order of the Phoenix and they decided they would wait until they had been taken to the protection of Hogwarts to brief the magic folk. Ed sent the report of Potter's rescue with the request in the very first letter which caused the General to demand more information. Understandably, he was quite upset to hear about the possibility of more homunculi. As a result security had tripled on the Amestrian side of the Gate which caused the Ministry to try and contact the 'ambassadors'.

The time at Headquarters since the Privet Drive incident had been generally tense. Ed spent most of his time focusing on finishing the lesson plans they would need in order to teach and doing some light research regarding the world events on this side of the Gate. He was looking for some indication that homunculi had been active. His brother was more personable and spent much more time with the other residents of the house. Al helped them clean the house and often shared laughs and stories at meal times. However, some days he would lock himself in the room with Ed, much to the chagrin of Sirius and Tonks who had grown to enjoy their company.

At present, the Elric brothers were packing their suitcases so they could travel to Hogwarts via floo with the Deputy Headmistress that was waiting down but stairs. They packed with practiced efficiency dividing up their research materials and notes. As Al was finishing, a quiet knocked sounded at the door.

"Come in," called Al as he latched on his luggage and lifted it off of the bed.

The door crept open and Harry sheepishly slipped in. "Hi, Al. I was hoping to talk to Ed before you left for Hogwarts."

"Oh," replied Al. He grabbed his suitcase and headed for the door. "I'll meet you in the sitting room, Ed." He stepped around Harry and headed downstairs.

Harry shuffled forward and said, "I never thanked you."

Ed shut his suitcase, set it on the floor and sat on his bed. "For what?" he asked.

"For saving me and Professor Lupin from the Death Eaters." Harry pause and took a deep breath. He stared down at his shoes and began fidgeting with his hands. "And for keeping me calm after the car crash. I know I was being a bit of a git."

"Only a bit?" teased Ed. "You don't have to thank me. I was doing my job. But you're welcome." He stood up and lifted his suitcase and headed for the door.

Harry reached out and put a hand on his should. "Wait!" he called. "Did you mean it when you said that next time, I could say the guy next to me?"

"I did. You have good instincts and you care. But you're also untrained and naïve. You freeze up and act irrationally. In a fight those can get you killed." Ed made to leave again only to be stopped by Harry again.

"If Voldemort is raising an army then, I want to fight," growled Harry. He had thought that Ed would be on his side but it seemed like he was dismissing him like all the other adults.

Ed sighed and set his luggage down. He turned to face the shorter boy and said, "I've no doubt you will. In fact, given his obsession with you, I'd say it's a certainty. But don't go looking for trouble. Train. Learn. Voldemort is playing the long game. Don't be in a hurry to do something desperate."

Harry glared and balled his fists. "He killed my parents. He's tried to kill me several times! I just want this to be over!"

Ed grew quiet and an angry expression crossed over his face. He held up his right hand for Harry to see. "Desperation and war makes monsters of us all. Don't wade in chest deep because you feel some sort of self-righteous fury! You do that and people will die. I'm not saying give up. I'm not saying sit this one out. I'm saying do it right or you or somebody else will die. Or worse."

"Like what? Expelled?" asked Harry bitterly.

"There are fates worse than death, Harry. Hopefully, you'll never have to find out." Ed lifted his bag and left, leaving Harry to share his frustration with an empty room.

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _Highlands, Scotland_

 _August 25th, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk in the Headmaster's Office staring at the curious orb that had appeared on his shelf of trinkets during the day while he had been out. It was a small metal sphere roughly the size of a golden snitch. The surface was smooth except for a small flat area that served as its bottom. Unfortunately, a diagnostic spell revealed a powerful recording charm that was likely attached to an auto-quill somewhere in the Ministry of Magic, if the magical signature was anything to go by. For an item so small, it posed a great problem. Should he destroy it and risk alerting the Ministry that he knows he is being watched? Or should he use it as a tool against them and keep the rest of the Order safe from legal action should they come for him? The latter option was very Slytherin, not that Dumbledore minded. After all, one could not be installed as a true Hogwarts Headmaster if they did not possess qualities from every house. _'Yes,'_ he mused to himself _. 'Perhaps I ought to embrace the more cunning path presented to me.'_

The Headmaster's musing were interrupted by his office door opening to reveal both Elric brothers and a young Hogwarts house elf. "Headmaster, sir! Gripes be possible presenting Professors Elric," squeaked the elf.

"Thank you, Gripes," said Dumbledore smiling. "You may go now." Gripes disappeared with a crack and Dumbledore gestured to the seats in front of him. "Please, have a seat and we can get your lesson plans approved."

Ed and Al shared a confused look with each other. It was obvious that wasn't what they had expected to hear. As they seat cautiously took the seats, Dumbledore pointed at the metal orb and then tapped his ear. Realization dawned on the brothers' faces. In response, Al handed over the thick sheaf of parchment that Gripes had asked them to bring. "These are the lesson plans we have drawn up," he said with his eyes on the beautiful Phoenix on Dumbledore's right.

"Thank you, Alphonse. His name is Fawkes, by the way. An immortal phoenix," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. He set the stack of papers on his desk and began to look over them quickly. "Did you boys enjoy your stay in muggle London?"

"Yeah," replied Ed. "There was a stray dog that lived near the hotel. That was kinda cool."

Al shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, "I thought he was nice."

"You were more focused on that cat that came around," quipped Ed with a wink which caused Al to turn bright red. He turned back to face Dumbledore. "I did have to stop a kid from getting hit by a car while crossing the street. Someone ought to remind him to look both ways when crossing."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. The message was clear: Harry was getting worked up over the war and guidance would be better than hoping he would just stay out of the way. "I'm sure someone will pass that wisdom on to him." He reached over and plucked a quill from its ink well and signed the top page. "Well, it is official. You are now full Hogwarts professors. Would you care to see your class room tonight?"

The two newly minted professors nodded and followed the Headmaster out of the office. The trio walked in comfortable silence for ten minutes as they descended to reach a second floor class room that over looked the lake. They shuffled in and Dumbledore flicked his wand to check for more listening spells. Finding none, he flicked his wand again to cast a privacy charm to ensure there would be no eavesdroppers at the door. He learned his lesson the last time.

"Now that we are safe from wandering ears, what could you not tell me before about these homunculi?" asked Dumbledore.

Ed took a shaky breath and sat down on one of the desks that filled the room. "Well let's start at the beginning. Do you know what a philosopher's stone is?"

Dumbledore raised a gray brow and his small smile slipped into a grimace. "I do," he said. "My friend Nicolas Flamel told me the whole story of when we destroyed the stone three years ago. He felt I should know what I doing."

"Someone had a stone on this side of the Gate?" asked Ed. His tone grew cold and solemn.

"Regrettably, yes," he replied. "Nicolas was fooled into creating the stone in his 112th year… over five centuries ago. Because of his status as a wizard, the stone was tied to his magical core. Forcing him to choose between destroying hundreds of souls confined in the stone and living until the energy ran out. He chose the path that would allow him to do good with an item of unspeakable evil. He dedicated centuries to curing illnesses, advancing research, and trying to track down the young man that wiped an entire wizarding community off the map."

Al shared a look with his brother. The tale was not so different from their own father's tale. "I take it Mr. Flamel has since passed?" he asked.

"No. He is on his death bed. I could arrange a meeting later this week," said Dumbledore. "It could help with your investigation."

"We'd like that, Old Man," said Ed. "It wouldn't surprise me if the mystery man that killed Jones is connected to all this. Anyway, at the core of every homunculus is a philosopher stone. Like this Flamel guy, it makes them virtually immortal. They also provided them with special powers. Now, like we said before there were eight homunculi in Amestris."

Alphonse picked up where Ed left off. "Seven of those were fragments, or children, of Father the original Homunculus. Father was created over five centuries ago in the country of Xerxes by a skilled alchemist using the blood of his slave. Father began to teach the slave and eventually, used him to destroy the entire nation. The slave and Father each gained half of the souls turning the slave into a living philosopher's stone. The slave was mortified and fled east. Father went west, founded Amestris, and began plotting to do so again.

"He began to section off pieces of himself. Of his soul. He tried to cleanse himself of his vices. To become the perfect being. Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Greed, and Wrath. His 'children', began to orchestrate violent wars and built a nationwide transmutation circle. Brother, the General, and I along with others shut him down at the Promised Day. On that day, and the days leading up to it, most of the homunculi were destroyed. Lust was killed by the General. Envy killed himself. Pride consumed Gluttony. Sloth exhausted his stone. Wrath was killed by a man named Scar. Pride was rendered inactive and currently is living as a little boy with his mother. Brother sent Father to the Gate himself."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I would assume that is the condensed version. Do you think these new homunculi are related to the ones from Amestris?"

"Maybe," said Ed. "There's a couple of possibilities. I have two theories though. One, these are separate counterparts with no direct relation to Father. Two, these are more partitions of Father that escaped through the Gate when it appeared after the Promised Day. There is no way of knowing for sure until we get more data. And I'm not sure which is the best case scenario."

"Is it possible that this Father character survived and came here?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

"Because Al wouldn't have his body right now, had Father not been destroyed," said Ed quietly. "This next part is not exactly classified information but, it's personal and we would appreciate it if you didn't share it with anyone without cause." Ed and Al sighed in unison. It was going to be a long night. They told Dumbledore almost everything related to human transmutation and the Gate. Starting with the day their mother had collapsed.

 _Alchemist's Respite, Home of Nicolas Flamel_

 _Normandy, France_

 _August 31_ _st_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Nicolas Flamel had lived a long life that was finally drawing to a close. A long life built on the murder of hundreds. It had burdened him for many years but he could never bring himself to destroy the bane of his existence. The stone contained the souls of magical folk of the village La Croix. Destroying them meant passing them into the void with no purpose. Instead, Nicolas used the immortality to better the world, both mundane and magical, but he also sought out the Bastard that had tricked him. His wife had been doomed to live forever just as he had because of their joined magical cores. She had supported him the entire time and he missed her dearly. She had been the first to die after the stone was destroyed three years prior. The shock of the severance had forced her to leave on her next journey without him.

Presently, Flamel was sitting in his favorite chair before his fireplace with a glass of near ancient cognac. Dumbledore had brought two young men claiming to be alchemists to see him the day before. He had nearly cursed the short haired one into oblivion. He was a spitting image of the Bastard that had fool him many years ago. It had taken convincing but they were able to prove that they were not connected to the Bastard. It turns out that Flamel wasn't the only man fooled into creating atrocities.

Evidently, these two young men came from a place on the other side of the Great Doors in the British Ministry of Magic. In their homeland, this had happened once and almost a second time a few centuries later. They believed that the man that tricked him was something called a homunculus and that there were others here. Flamel told the boys what little he knew about the Bastard before wishing them a firm farewell.

Nicolas emptied his glass and set it on the table beside him. He was ready. Family affairs and last wills had long since been settled and recorded with Gringotts. The few Flamel house elves had been transferred to Hogwarts when Dumbledore had visited with his young alchemist friends. The Headmaster often said that to the well-organized mind, death was just the next adventure. Nicolas couldn't help but agree. However, the thought of death had always silently frightened him. But, the time for that worry had passed. His time had finally come. "Je vais vous rejoindre prochainement sur la prochaine grande aventure, mon amour," he said as his eyes closed and the hearth slowly grew cold.

For the first time in five hundred years, not a soul was present on the Flamel Estate. The Great Alchemist, at long last, had earned his respite.

 _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

 _London, England_

 _September 1_ _st_ _, 1995_

Harry woke with a start to the sound Mrs. Weasley yelling through door for them to get. "Harry! Ron! Time to get up dears, we'll miss the train if you don't hurry," she shout before walking down to wake the girls.

The black haired teen groggily sat up and praised whatever deity that usually hated him for not plaguing him with nightmares for once. He glanced over at his school trunk and thanked his past self for having the forethought to pack most of his belongings the night before. The 'esteemed' prefect was in the next bed over. His belongings were scattered around and he himself was curled up in the bed with a pillow over his head. "Ron! Get up!" he hissed. Harry grabbed the pillow from behind him and hurled it towards Ron's head.

The pillow sailed into the sleeping teens with more force than necessary and detonated on impact, sending feathers everywhere. Ron bolted up and tried to flee from the attack he didn't understand. The result was him getting tangled up in his blankets and falling to the floor. He looked up at Harry and asked sleepily, "What's goin' on 'Arry?"

"We're going to be late to Hogwarts if you don't get out of bed," said Harry as he pulled on a pair of oversized trousers and a jumper. He put the rest of his belongings into his trunk and pulled on his trainers. Mrs. Weasley and some of the other Order members had gone to Diagon Alley to get school supplies for the students that were residing in the house. Their Hogwarts letters had arrived and had named Hermione and Ron both prefects. Harry's letter had included a note from McGonagall explaining that the Headmaster had requested that he not be made a prefect so that he could have time for extra lessons. That had only confused him and his friends. "I'll meet you downstairs, Ron." Ron didn't respond because he had fallen back to sleep on the dusty floor. Harry grabbed his trunk and headed into the hall where Hermione and Ginny were already waiting.

"Is Ron almost ready?" asked Hermione as she adjusted her bag over her shoulder. "He ought to remember what happened last time he missed the train.

Harry shrugged. "Not really," he said. "He is asleep on the floor and his trunk is barely packed."

Groaning, Ginny dropped her trunk with a loud bang. She aggressively enter the door and shut the door behind her. All Harry and Hermione could hear from the outside of the room was incoherent screaming and yelling.

"Sometimes, I forget that she is genuinely terrifying," commented Hermione.

Nodding, Harry said, "Probably has something to do with having seven older brothers. Somehow, she came out really well-adjusted."

"I don't know if well-adjusted is the right phrase. Stable?"

"Hmmmm…. I don't know. You remember what happened to that third year that made a pass it her?"

"Maybe it's just best if we don't cross her for now, yeah?"

At that point Ginny exited the now silent room and asked, "Who are we not crossing?"

"No one," said Harry and Hermione simultaneously.

Sometime later everyone gathered at the door of the house. The twins, Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and a feather coated Ron were joined by Lupin, Mad-Eye, and Alphonse. They pulled escort duty this time round.

"Hey, Al. Where Ed?" asked Ginny munching on an apple.

Al smiled and greeted her and the other teens warmly. "Brother had to stay at Hogwarts to work on some research. I came to help ensure your safety."

Fred and George both clapped a hand on his shoulder. One started speaking. "Really glad…"

"…you could join us." And the other finished in their usual fashion.

Mad-Eye ended the rest of any conversations and called them all to attention. "Right. We have us three plus Molly and Arthur. Tonks has been sent ahead to scout our route. Once at King's Cross, she and Elric will board the train to Hogwarts." Mad-Eye paused and set his wide brimmed hat on his head. "We shouldn't have any problems today. But remember, CONSTANT VIGILANCE! If we are attacked, take cover until help arrives." He directed the last part to the charges he had to escort.

Harry leaned over to Ron and deadpanned, "Well it can't hardly go worse than last time, can it?"

 **END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**

 **END NOTE: That was chapter seven. This one was a bit of a doozy. I'm an American trying to write in a dialect that is not my own using movies and books as a reference. I hope I am doing alright. If you see a manner in which I can improve it please let me know.**

 **So, I am in the process of finishing my final semester of college and have my capstone paper to finish. I will be working on this story but I will likely not post until after graduation which is the first weekend of May. I know this is not the most pleasing idea and it doesn't make me happy either. I hope you all understand and bear with me during the next three and a half weeks. However, during my downtime, I will be editing my posted chapters for the grammar mistakes that have been pointed out to me. No content will be altered. Chapter eight ought to be posted by the eighth of May and updates should return to a weekly manner then.**

 **In the meantime, favorite, review, or use conditioner then shampoo. Experiment and question reality. Report your results. How else are we supposed to grow as a global society?**

 **In the meantime, have a good month.**

 **-Rising Robin**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Welcome! All announcements will be made at the end of this chapter.**

 **Here we go.**

 **Chapter 8**

" _In other news, a recent report suggests that things may not be as they seem." ― Joseph Fink, Welcome to Night Vale_

 _Hogwarts Express_

 _En route to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _September 1_ _st_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

They were situated in a middle compartment of one of the middle cars of the scarlet express that was barreling to the magic school of Great Britain. Al was crammed into the corner next to the door with Hermione, Ginny, and Harry. Across from them sat a round-faced boy named Neville, a strange blonde girl with turnip earrings named Luna, and Ron. It had quite cramped inside before Hermione and Ron had returned from their prefect's meeting early on in the trip. Their arrival had only made everyone squeeze in tighter. This caused Tonks had politely mentioned she needed to stretch her legs to escape the close quarters. Al had taken an immediate liking to Neville and Luna. The former reminded him of himself and the latter was simply an inquisitive mind. Both were surprised to learn that He was a professor but were deeply interested the class and vowed to sign up for it when they reached Hogwarts.

Al's attention appeared to be focused on the conversation between Ginny and Luna concerning an article in her father's magazine, _the Quibbler,_ about possible fictional creatures. In actuality, he was focused on Harry. The young man was growing ever quieter the closer they drew to the school. Neville and Ron both managed to pick up on this and tried to coax Harry into conversing about quidditch or his summer holidays.

All conversation, and attempted conversation, ended abruptly as the compartment door slid open without warning. Harry's, Neville's, and Ginny's faces fell into neutral masks while Ron's and Hermione's became ones of mild disgust or annoyance. Luna simply ignored the whole situation and soldiered on through her upside down magazine. In the now open doorway stood three teenagers that were roughly the age of Al's charges. The pale blood boy in the middle was clearly the leader of the band given his sneer and stance. The teens flanking him could have passed for shaven gorillas with a fraction of the intelligence given their blank expressions and their large stature.

The sneer of the blonde one flooded the room and it almost seemed to be the cause of the shift in mood in the car. "Potty's band of mudbloods and bloodtraitors has adopted Loony Lovegood and the near squib Longbottom," he said without even regarding Al. Evidently his position crammed against the door shielded him from perception.

Harry sighed with exasperation. "What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry. "Shouldn't you be tormenting first years or complaining to your father?" Rounds of laughter erupted from the other teenagers.

Malfoy's pale face flushed and he began to draw himself into a posture that Ed and Al had both seen from the aristocrats that tried to gain their favor. "Watch yourself, Potter," said Malfoy smugly. He tapped the badge pinned above the crest on his chest. "Don't want to get detention, do you?"

"That's abuse of your power!" cried Hermione. "Not to mention you need a professor's approval most of the time."

She was answered with a sneer. "I don't see any professors here, mudblood."

Unfortunately, Malfoy hadn't noticed Alphonse to his left yet. The ambassador stood to his full height and stepped forward so that he was between his charges and Malfoy. Despite years of malnourishment, he had still grown to be above average height which was more than enough to be able to look down on the offending person. "Alphonse Elric, Alchemy Professor." He closed the short distance between them which caused the trio to retreat. "If at any point this year you insult someone's heritage, I will ensure you never have any modicum of power ever again. Now get out of my sight." He slammed the door and returned to his seat.

The assembled group gave a round of thanks and then fell into awkward silence that was surprisingly broken by Neville. "I've been meaning to ask: If you're ambassadors from Amestris, are you going to help with the War?" he asked with his eyes trained on the floor.

"Officially, no," he replied cautiously.

Neville deflated a little and looked up into Al's eyes. "Is there any chance that you have unofficial orders?"

Al looked to Harry to silently ask whether or not he thought these two were trustworthy. His gut said, 'yes,' but then again, he sent most of his teenage years without any sort of gooey bits to try and trust. Harry paused but still gave Al the affirmative. "Unofficially, brother and I are here to ensure the safety of Hogwarts. Until Amestris is directly threatened, we cannot assign more people to foreign soil. It's a newer policy to try and keep us out of unjust wars." He turned to face Luna and added, "And for the safety of the mission, I have to demand that none of this be published."

"Of course, Professor Elric," responded Luna in her usual dream like voice. "But, Harry, my father wanted to proposition you for an interview about the night of the third task."

Harry shifted in his seat and began to look incredibly uncomfortable. "Err… No… thanks but no. I don't think I'm quite ready for that."

"I understand. I didn't expect you would. But, if you change your mind remember that my father and I support you," she said. Luna smiled dreamily and returned to the adventure inside her magazine.

Neville smile softly and nodded in agreement. "Gran and I think the whole thing is barmy but we believe you."

Harry gave them both his thanks and turned back to the window as silence over took the compartment. As the hills of Scotland sped past he wondered what the year would hold for him and his friends.

It was rain by the time they had reached the journey's end. As the crimson steam engine pulled into Hogsmeade Station, Tonks returned to her charges. She had to fulfil her Ministry appointed duty of being the legal liaison between the ambassadors and the government. It was her job to ensure that the Elric brothers observed the law of the land and didn't attempt to make war on the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore was forced to call in several favors to get an auror who was a member of the Order into that position. Tonks whisked Alphonse away to the castle leaving the teenagers of the compartment by themselves to find a carriage that would take them the rest of the way.

They hurried through the heavy rain to the waiting carriages that were quickly filling with students. As he rounded the corner, Harry came to a standstill and seemingly forgot the rain that was soaking him to the bone. Standing before him were dozens of skeletal horses wearing the necessary tack to pull the school carriages. The 'horses' were thin with little hair to speak of and leather like skin. Bat-like wings were folded onto their backs and their eyes were lidless. Harry thought they would have looked more fitting as the mounts for apocalyptic figures rather than beasts of burden. However, the more shocking fact was that no other student seemed to be able to be aware of them.

"Harry?" called Ginny from the nearest empty carriage. Concern was evident in her voice. "Come on, you'll catch your death out there."

"Can't you see them?" asked Harry not moving from his spot. He was positively soaking now. "Those… things pulling the carriages?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances in the carriage. "Mate," said Ron with a furrowed brow. "The carriages are pulling themselves, like always."

Behind Harry, Luna put a hand on his shoulder. "I can see them too. You're no less sane than I am," she said before skipping to join her companions.

Neville could see that the idea of having the same level of sanity of the blonde was not terribly comforting so, he walked back and pulled him toward the carriage. "Don't worry. I can see them too."

The students, including the Golden Trio and their newer companions, filed into the hall and took their seats at their respective house tables. The Gryffindor majority of the group immediately began talking amongst themselves about the state of the faculty table.

"Hagrid is still gone then," muttered Ron to no one in particular.

Luna lost her dreamy expression for a moment. "That is a shame. I very much enjoy his classes. He is always nice to me," she said in reply.

Harry nodded but it was clear he was distracted by the horrendous pink figure at the table. "Who's that?"

"Delores Umbridge, Under Secretary to the Minister," said Ron and Neville at the same time. They looked at one another in confusion before the latter gestured to the former to continue. "Dad's been complaining about her all summer. Apparently, she's leading the charge against you and Dumbledore in the press. If she's here, then things are about to get… unpleasant."

Neville nodded and added, "Gran despises her too. She keep introducing legislation into the Wizengamot about 'lesser creatures'."

Hermione grumbled under her breath about horrendous treatment in the magical world but stayed mostly silent on the topic. The backlash of her S.P.E.W. campaign the year before had caused her to hold her views tighter to her chest. She decided to wait until a more suitable time to bring that up. Instead, she changed the topic. "Look, there's Ed and Al. Those must be their military uniforms."

Situated in the middle of the left side of the head table were the two visitors from Amestris. They were clad in matching clothes of vibrant blue. The differences between them were that Ed had two more stars on either shoulder than his brother. A number of ribbons adorned either but Ed's breast was adorned with many more. They appeared to be having an animate conversation with copious amounts of hand waving.

"So, that's Professor Elric's brother?" asked Neville. "Do we also call him Professor Elric?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know."

Before they could discuss it further Dumbledore called for silence and the deputy headmistress brought forth the sorting hat. She placed it on the simple wooded stool and backed away. Suddenly it perked up and began to sing:

" _In times of old, when I was new,  
And Hogwarts barely started,  
The founders of our noble school  
Thought never to be parted…"  
(You can kinda figure this one out. Its straight from the books.)  
"…And we must unite inside her  
or we'll crumble from within  
I have told you, I have warned you...  
let the Sorting now begin."_

As the ancient hat finished his song and was met with confused applause. It gave a short bow and the sorting ceremony began. Harry and his friends were somewhat disturbed by the warning not so subtly sang this year. They were so perturbed that they almost missed the reaction to the hat by the Elrics. Almost.

Hermione watched as the eldest brother began reaching for what she assumed was his muggle pistol. He was held down by his brother who looked even more shaken than he did. It seemed nobody had informed them of how sorting was done in Hogwarts. It took nearly the entire sorting for the two of them to calm down but, every time the hat shouted the destination of the first years Al seemed like he was going to faint. Finally, the last student was sorted and Professor McGonagall whisked the stool away for another year.

Dumbledore rose from his seat to take his place behind the lectern. "Welcome to our new arrivals and Welcome back to those returning for another year. But there is time enough for words later. For now: let us eat!" With a flick of his wrist the house table filled with multitudes of food.

The entire hall quickly filled with excited chatter for the new school year. They covered a myriad of topics while they gorged on chops, steaks, and potatoes including the failed Tri-Wizard Tournament, what happened over holiday, the recent break-in attempt at the Department of Mysteries, the new additions to the staff, and the general excitement for the future. However, Harry was more somber and made only small attempts to include himself in the conversations being held by his friends who flanked and sat across from him at the Gryffindor table. The last time he had been in the Great Hall it was to attend the memorial of Cedric's death. It weighed heavy on his mind. It was not long before the feast got away from him entirely and Dumbledore cleared the food with another wave of his hand.

"Such a lovely night for a lovely feast," said Dumbledore jovially. "Welcome once again to this wondrous year at Hogwarts. As some of you may have noticed we have a few changes to the staff. First, Professor Wilhelmina Grubby-Plank is taking over for Professor Hagrid while he is on sabbatical on the Continent." He paused as the woman stood and there was a bit of applause for the returning substitute. When she took her seat again, he continued. "Secondly, we have a new class being offered this year: Alchemy. The class is open to all years and if you wish to attend, please inform your head of house. It will be taught by visitors from beyond the Great Doors: Colonel Edward Elric and Major Alphonse Elric." The two of them awkwardly stood up and received loud applause which was mostly from the female population. "Finally, taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts is Professor Delores Umbridge." Umbridge stood and gave a sickeningly sweet fake smile. There was weak applause throughout the hall but it was mostly contained to the Slytherin table. Many of the older students, and those from all magical families, knew who she was and generally despised her. "Now, that we have had our introductions done with, it's time…"

"Hem-hem," came a quiet interruption but, the headmaster simply ignored it.

"…to have some announcements. Students are reminded that the Forbidden Forest…"

"Hem-hem." The interruption returned louder this time and actually caused Dumbledore to falter for a moment.

"…The Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds, as there are a number of unpleasantries there for a student to face. Also, no magic is permitted in the hall and Mr. Filch…"

"Hem-hem!" came the interruption a third time. It was more forceful and it caused much of the hall to look at the source. When they realized who it was, the students began whispering amongst themselves. On the opposite end of the head table, Ed set his head down on the table and groaned.

Dumbledore turned around to see that his Ministry appointed Professor had not yet sat down after her introduction. "Delores, was there something you wished to add?"

"Thank you, Professor," replied Umbridge as she stepped around the table and approached the lectern which the headmaster reluctantly relinquished. "As some of you may know, I am the Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. That is why we have invited our dimensional neighbors here to return to us the lost magicks that they have maintained. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Teachers ought to be of this rich heritage, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. Then again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

When Umbridge finally finished speaking much of the student body had either dozed off or become visibly upset. There was weak applause from the hall which broke out into hurried whispers.

"Hermione!" hissed Ron. "What the bloody hell is that woman talking about? I couldn't follow any of it."

Hermione took a deep breath. "It means the ministry is interfering in Hogwarts."

Ed watched grumpily as the students filed into Hogwarts' Great Hall. Normally he'd be excited to explore the castle or compare notes with his newly arrived brother. Instead he sat there and stewed. He was shaken by his brother in order to get his attention.

"Brother?" asked Al with eyes full of concern. "Is everything alright?"

Sighing heavily Ed said, "Fine. I've just spent the last several hour getting grilled by the pink toad down on the other end."

"Really?" asked Al. "What did she try to get out of you?"

"She was just trying to dig into Amestris' business. And ours. Mostly she was just being a pain in the ass," said Ed with distain and a dismissive gesture.

"Well, cheer up. Classes ought to keep her occupied and away from us for a good chunk of the year after tonight."

Ed grimaced. "Nope," he said. "We have to attend a staff meeting after the feast." He paused and leaned in close and gestured for his brother to do the same. "The old man thinks there is some sort of power play at work here."

"Oh," responded Al quietly. He wanted to say more but it was clearly not the time or place to discuss it. Especially since at that moment, Minerva placed a stool and a ragged hat in the center of the room before the head table. Al watched as the rowdy assembly of students quieted and stared at the hat expectantly. It wasn't until the hat split at the brim and began to speak did he understand why. The hat had begun to sing.

Ed's eyes went wide. "What the hell?" he asked as he reached into his coat to draw his firearm but was stopped his brother.

"Ed!" hissed Al. "Don't shoot the hat!"

"I wasn't gonna…" said Ed through clenched teeth. "I was just going to get some answers."

"Look around," said Al. "No one else is finding this weird. Maybe it's not what we think it is. Keep it together."

The older Elric looked into his brother's face. He had gone eerily pale and sweat had broken out on his forehead. Alphonse was terrified. Ed nodded and glared at the hat from his seat while his brother shuffled uncomfortably in his seat while the hat fulfilled its evident purpose. After the first years were sorted, the pair of them relaxed briefly despite the surprising appearance of the food. Filling their plates with some of the more familiar food, Ed and Al made polite conversation with their neighbors. Before long the Headmaster stood and called for silence. With a wave of his hand, he banished the food and began to make the introductions of the new staff.

When the Pink One interrupted Dumbledore, Ed audibly groaned and Al sank into his chair in defeat. The 'impromptu' speech was obviously practiced in advance and was targeted more towards the staff and Harry's gaggle of friends. It almost made the Amestrians miss Fuhrer Grumond's speeches about clever strategy. There was, of course, also the claim that alchemy was magic which got Ed to start grumbling under his breath and Al to hang his head. The true issue of the moment was the message and the manner in which it was delivered. It was clearly a warning of a rising tide that confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions of interference.

 _Ruins of Lestrange Manor_

 _East Riding of Yorkshire, England_

 _September 1_ _st_ _, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)_

Several hundred miles away lie the ruins of a legacy. Lestrange Manor had once been a large and beautiful home as would befit a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Located on a hill overlooking the sea, the vista was breathtaking. The surrounding lowlands once held rich farms and provided much of Wizarding England with goods which amassed the family a massive fortune and helped them to consolidate political power. For centuries the Lestrange family built onto the house and increased their prosperity though this was often at the expense of the people that depended on them.

All of this changed in 1707 when the Wizard's Council was dissolved by the affirmed supremacy of the Ministry of Magic and the admittance into the fledgling International Confederation of Wizards. Their years of abuse to their countrymen cost them their influence and the opening of the market to the world meant that the British people didn't need to buy their exorbitantly priced goods. The lush fields gave way to dark forests and the house stopped its constant expansions. The family turned to more _questionable_ means of maintaining their power. By the time Lord Voldemort rose to full power in the 1970s, the air of the Manor had grown thick with malice. The forests exuded an atmosphere of gloom and the weather became altered by the dark magic.

With the arrests or deaths of most of the family it was all but abandoned. It faced ruin in the spring of 1982 when Rudolphus Lestrange's father, Caliban, made his last stand against Ministry Aurors. He had apparently detonated ancient security spells that had been laid down centuries prior. The result was the obliteration of half the manor, his death, the deaths of five aurors, and Alastor Moody's favorite leg.

At present, it was serving as one of seven meeting points for the growing forces of Lord Voldemort. A large collection of Death Eaters were scurrying around the remaining portion of the manor trying to organize and complete the tasks set to them by their malevolent master. It was almost comical the level of terror they felt serving someone they revered as a living god. Or at least that is what the man observing from the broken clock tower in the court yard thought. He was of average height with long blond hair pulled into a pony tail and piecing purple eyes that contrasted to his pale skin.

"It warms the souls to see such terror inflicted upon these mere mortals. Eh, Brother?" he enquired seemingly to the empty air behind him.

In an instant there was a rustling from above him and another man dropped from the charred rafters and sat upon the ledge opposite of him. A dark cloak hung over a medium frame. Purple eyes were framed by a mess of black hair. "I don't know, Cruelty," he said. "You know that psychological stuff isn't my shtick. Now if they were having screws driven into their thumbs, I might be inclined to care."

"My dear brother Malice," said Cruelty as he turned around to face the new arrival. "Surely you can appreciate the artistry in cause pain without laying a finger on someone?"

"Eh, whatever."

Cruelty shrugged and turned back to absorb the terror before him. "Regardless. Have you news from our woman in the shadows?"

"The Elric boys arrived at that school place today. One came with the rest of the staff but the other arrived by train. She thinks that the Dumble guy is trying to protect Potter."

"Do they suspect anything about us?"

Malice shrugged. "She doesn't think so but, they are jumpy as hell."

"Perfect," said the other in an almost lusty voice. "I do love new toys. After all, that Potter boy was hardly any fun at all. I guess seeing Mr. Diggory appear outside his window was not enough to get him to break." In a flash of red lightning, the blond man changed to become a spitting image of James Potter. "Perhaps, this face could do more harm."

 **END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**

 **END NOTE: So, I figure it will be pointless to apologize. But, I will. I'm so sorry for the delay. After graduating with my degree, I had a wedding to plan. Then, I had a birthday. Then, my brother moved up to where I live in the mountains. Then, I got married. Then, I moved out of my house into an apartment while putting most of my things into a storage unit that is over a mountain. Then, I went on my honeymoon which I just returned from. Also, I got a kitten. Not really an obstacle but, he is just too cute.**

 **Unfortunately, I will probably only be able to post one more time before I start training for a new job sometime in the next 45 days. However, while I am indisposed I will continue to write and plot. This will enable me to post as soon as I can type it up. Please stick with me guys.**

 **This has been Chapter 8 with the formal introduction of some of the bad guys in the shadows.**

 **In the meantime, favorite, review, or discover the lost secrets of a long dead culture that correctly predicted the end of the world just before it's too late. I don't know. I'm not an archeologist.**

 **Catch you next time,**

 **The Rising Robin**


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